Magnetite Mines has started air core drilling at its Ironback Hill prospect in South Australia to test for rare earth element (REE) mineralisation alongside its existing magnetite iron ore resource. The program targets REE-bearing horizons identified in previous surface geochemistry and geophysics within the broader Razorback iron project area, where the company is already advancing high-grade magnetite concentrates for green steel feed. Any defined REE inventory could materially change project economics and mine planning, adding a critical minerals stream to the planned iron ore operation.

US recycler Amermin and Ulterra Drilling Technologies are extending their critical minerals recycling partnership to handle Ulterra’s waste streams from Argentina and Canada, on top of existing US volumes. The Texas-based firms already process more than 21 waste streams, including tungsten, cobalt, nickel, manganese, blast media, and synthetic and industrial diamond, and recycled over 1.4 million pounds of Ulterra material in 2025. Amermin is using an $11.5 million US Department of Energy grant to scale processing so end-of-life drilling and tooling inputs can be returned as manufacturing-grade feedstock.

Rio Tinto has reported a near 10 per cent year-on-year increase in copper-equivalent production, driven largely by stronger iron ore output from its Pilbara operations and improved performance at key copper assets. The company pointed to higher plant throughput and more stable rail and port logistics in the Pilbara system, alongside incremental gains from brownfield debottlenecking at existing mines. For mine planners and process engineers, the results signal continued emphasis on incremental productivity gains from established ore bodies rather than major greenfield expansions.